Railway-switch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

W. M. BROWN. RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Feb. 11, 1896.

A T-TZHNEY.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. M. BROWN.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

N0.554,437.' Patented Peb.11, 1896. I

IIILHEIHEHIIHCDHDHITJ INVENTOR A TORNE Y.

NITED STATES a ATENT lrrrcn.

IVILIJIAM MILTON BROIVN, OF J OI-INSTOIVN PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-=SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,437,dated February 1 1, 1896. Application filed November 14, 1894:. Serial No. 528,716. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM MILTON BROWN, of Johnstown, county of Oambria,

State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Railway-Switches, of which the following specification is a true and exact description, due reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention (Case N o. 54) relates to an improved form of switch for use in the track of street-railways, and has for its object to provide a switch that may be thrown by the operator of the car without leaving the car-platform.

My switch being operated by electricity, it is especially adapted to use in an electric road, and I will so describe it.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a top View of a portion of track containing a switch embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the street through the switch. Fig. 3 illustrates certain electrical details hereinafter described. Fig. 4 represents a top view of one of the switch-boxes. Fig. 5 represents a section on line X X of Fig. 4.

In general my invention consists in operating the switch by a suitable electric motor, placing in the track switches adapted to so admit the current into the motor that it will operate the switch in either direction,and closing the electrical switch by means of suitable magnets suspended from the car.

I In the drawings, A is the switch to be operated by the motor B through the chain con nections, as shown. Between the track-rails are placed the boxes 0 0 These boxes contain the switches which admit the current to the motor, the wires being connected from the switch-boxes to the motor in suitable pipes T.

Suspended from the car in Fig. 2 are two electromagnets D and D so located that they pass directly over the boxes G and 0 E is the trolley wire and e the trolley contact-wheel.

F and F are two switches, adapted to be operated by the motorman and by which he may pass a current of electricity from the trolley through either magnet desired,thereby rendering it active.

Inside the boxes Cand C are the switches shown in Fig. 3, 4t, and 5. They consist of the cranks II and H pivoted 011 pins h. These pivot-pins are insulated from the remainder of the crank by the insulation I. The vertical arm of the crank is divided into two parts insulated from each other, as shown. These two parts are so arranged that by the upward movement of the horizontal arm of the crank, which arm carries the long iron bars R or R they make contact with four contactpoints K L M N or K L M N as the case may be. These several contact-points are connected with the motor B by the wires is, Z, and m, as follows: 0 and O are the coils of the field-magnets of the motor 13, and P is the commutator with which the brushes p and 19 make contact. The trolley-wire is connected by the wire c to the field-coil O, the circuit passing from it to the other field-coil O in the usualmanner. The wirels connects this last coil 0 with the contact-points K and K The wire I connects brush p with contacts L and L and the wire m connects the brush 19 with contacts M and M The other contacts N and N are connected with the grounds G by wires 01.

I will now describe the operation of the switch. Let us suppose a car be approaching the switch from the left hand, so that it will pass over the boxes 0 and C before reaching the switch and that the car should take the straight track, the switch being in position to deflect the car to the right. As the car ap proaches the switch-boxes G and C the operator closes the switch F, thereby sending a current through the magnet D and energizing it. As the car passes over the switchbox the active magnet will attract the iron bar R and, lifting it, will bring the vertical arm of crank H in contact with the points K, L, M, and N. This closes the motorcircuit, so that the current passes from the trolley-wire E through e to field-coil O, thence to O and out along the wire is. The switches in box 0 not having been closed, the current can only pass out through contact K, thence across and in L and along wire Z to brush 1). After traversing the armature in such direction as to cause it to turn in the direction of the arrow marked I it passes out of brush p and along wire m to contact M and across to N and out wire n to the ground G. The current passing in this direction causes the motor to so turn that it will throw the tongue to the right and leave the straight track open. Let us now suppose that the next car should take the right-hand track. In this case the switch F is closed and magnet D energized. This attracts the bar R in box 0 and closes the switches H those at H being new open, as magnet D is inactive. The current from the trolley wire passes through the fields O and O and along wire 70, as before; but as K is open it must pass out at K thence across and in M and along wire m. Thus it passes in brush p and traverses the armature P in a direction opposite to the former direction. Passing out at p and along wire Z, it crosses from contact L to N and thence to ground G. The armature is so wound that reversing the direction of the current in it reverses its polarity and causes it to revolve in an opposite direction that of arrow marked 2. This of course throws the switch tov the other side and opens the right-hand track.

By placing the motor in the base of a trolley-post set on the sidewalk it is thus removed from the dampness and the dirt oi the street and is more accessible for the purpose of repairs, attendance, &c.

The switch-boxes C may be closed perfectly tight, so that no dirt or surface water may run in, thereby rendering the device more desirable than if the movable parts were ex posed in the street.

A further advantage of my device is that it is not necessary for the operator to know the precise location of the switch-a difficult thing on a dark night. All he has to do is to close the switch F or F as he approaches the switch and keep it closed until the switch is reached.

l-Iavin g thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway-switch-operating mechanism, wherein an electric motor is employed, a switch adapted to be located in the street, said switch comprising a plurality of conductor-terminals, a pivoted member having a depending contact-face adapted to make contact with said terminals, and a member at right angles to said depending member, said last-mentioned member being adapted to be lifted up by a magnetic field carried by the car.

2. A railway-switell-operating mechanism, comprising an electric motor connected with and adapted to operate the switch, suitable current-switches for causing said motor to throw the switch for either track, said ourrent-switches being located in the road-bed so that they shall be passed over by the car, and electromagnets carried by the car so that they shall pass over the current-switches and means whereby the car-operator may energize one of the magnets in such manner as to operate the desired current-switch.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

W. MILTON BROWN. Witnesses:

D. S. SHALLENBERGER, J. L. CHAPMAN. 

